Identification of 50 Class D β-Lactamases and 65 Acinetobacter-Derived Cephalosporinases in Acinetobacter spp.

Abstract

ABSTRACTWhole-genome sequencing of a collection of 103Acinetobacterstrains belonging to 22 validly named species and another 16 putative species allowed detection of genes for 50 new class D β-lactamases and 65 newAcinetobacter-derived cephalosporinases (ADC). All oxacillinases (OXA) contained the three typical motifs of class D β-lactamases, STFK, (F/Y)GN, and K(S/T)G. The phylogenetic tree drawn from the OXA sequences led to an increase in the number of OXA groups from 7 to 18. The topologies of the OXA and RpoB phylogenetic trees were similar, supporting the ancient acquisition ofblaOXAgenes byAcinetobacterspecies. The class D β-lactamase genes appeared to be intrinsic to several species, such asAcinetobacter baumannii,Acinetobacter pittii,Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, andAcinetobacter lwoffii. NeitherblaOXA-40/143- norblaOXA-58-like genes were detected, and their origin remains therefore unknown. The phylogenetic tree analysis based on the alignment of the sequences deduced fromblaADCrevealed five main clusters, one containing ADC belonging to species closely related toA. baumanniiand the others composed of cephalosporinases from the remaining species. No indication ofblaOXAorblaADCtransfer was observed between distantly related species, except forblaOXA-279, possibly transferred fromAcinetobactergenomic species 6 toAcinetobacter parvus. Analysis of β-lactam susceptibility of seven strains harboring new oxacillinases and cloning of the corresponding genes inEscherichia coliand in a susceptibleA. baumanniistrain indicated very weak hydrolysis of carbapenems. Overall, this study reveals a large pool of β-lactamases in differentAcinetobacterspp., potentially transferable to pathogenic strains of the genus.